Coach John Tortorella said the third-period confidence is a product of Lundqvist's strong play. He added that there are times when the Rangers rely too much on Lundqvist to keep games close enough to make a comeback possible.

"I think [Tuesday's] game was one of the games," Tortorella said. "I thought our goaltending was better than their goaltending and that was a big determination of the outcome.''

Woywitka out againDefenseman Jeff Woywitka was scratched for a second consecutive game after getting hit in his already-injured left foot in the morning skate. Rookie Tim Erixon again took Woywitka's place on the third line.

Biron starts

Marty Biron started in goal, his third start since Dec. 10. With the win over the Islanders, Biron is 7-1-0 this season as Lundqvist's backup.

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